30 new fires in BC since yesterday

A total of 30 new wildfires began burning around the province on Thursday, making it one of the busiest days in recent weeks.

Kevin Skrepnek with the BC Wildfire Service says many were caused by lightening and most were contained at a small size — around one hectare or less — with the exception of the Joe Rich fire burning east of Kelowna.

That wildfire quickly grew out of control and now sits at 380 hectares. It was fanned by high winds in the Central Okanagan, with gusts reaching up to 70 km/h that contributed to its aggressive growth.

Camp fires are now allowed in much of northern B.C., but are restricted everywhere else except for the fog zone along the west coast of northern Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii. Back country closures have been relaxed in some areas too, with the exception of the Cariboo, Kamloops and Southeast fire zones.